Lesson 17 New Book is Here!

Well, that moment is arriving this weekend at the CASE Annual Leadership Summit in New York City. A new book is an exciting time for authors, but it’s also a bit frightening!!

Alarming thoughts can come to mind: Theses words were written nine months ago, will I still agree with myself? I can’t say I was just kidding, can I? Words feel so final when they appear in print! Have I given credit where credit is due? My ideas come from countless interactions over time. How do I know where they came from? Yikes! And the worst thought of all: What if nobody cares?

This book is also about “Lessons Learned.” It is the result of reflecting on more than 40 years in higher education, as a professor, academic administrator, consultant and advancement professional. So I think I am pretty safe about the ideas. Whether they are helpful or not is up to you to decide. Afterall, I did survive this moment three times earlier. Surely I will again. Won’t I?

A university is a different kind of organizaton, so I begin with a discussion about the nature of academic life and what kinds of leaders tend to end up in charge. What follows is an analysis of the typical political situations one encounters trying to get support for ideas and programs inside, as well as strategies and tactics to employ. Finally, I conclude that advancement and marketing officers must become internal teachers, so I show how to develop a “lesson plan” that can be used in small bites in meetings and office visits.

Some have looked at this material and suggested that people in nonprofits and even most business situations will profit from this read, noting that insitutitonal politics is a big issue everywhere. I am convinced they are right.

So in the final analysis this book also tries to organize a “subject matter” that can be taught as a part of the curriculum in professional schools, or later on as a part of professional development.

This book just may become my focus for more thinking and writing in the coming weeks. Please do give it a read, and let me know what you think.